


Berlin

by elflordsmistress



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Married Couple, Post Bartlett Administration, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elflordsmistress/pseuds/elflordsmistress
Summary: The year is 2009. CJ is taking a trip to Germany to accept an award. Danny asks Margaret for a favour.
Relationships: Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Leaving On A Jet Plane

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the mood for a bit of fluff ..

_**Hollis Foundation** _

_**Santa Monica, CA** _

_**2009** _

CJ paced impatiently.

“It has created longer fundraising cycles and mostly hollow promises _of_ ..”

“Government stimuli for infrastructure?” Danny supplied from the couch in her office.

“Okay,” CJ said as she scribbled the words down.

“Read it from the beginning of the paragraph.”

“The global financial crisis has led to challenging circumstances for the industry. It has created longer fundraising cycles and mostly hollow promises of government stimuli for infrastructure. How does that sound?”

“You need something in there about a new era of investment in the asset class.”

CJ ran her hand through her hair and scratched her scalp.

“Okay, how’s this? Investors are going to have to make a profit through operational improvements rather than financial engineering.”

“ _Are going to have to_ sounds clunky. Swap it with _will have to_.”

"Investors will have to make a profit through operational improvements rather than financial engineering.”

Danny grimaced and shook his head.

“It still sounds clunky.” 

CJ huffed and threw her clip board down in frustration.

Danny had just opened his mouth to say something else when there was a tap and Margaret appeared in the doorway.

“CJ? You’ve had a last minute request for a dinner meeting.”

“In Berlin?”

“Yes.”

“ _From whom?_ ”

“Ambassador Klein.”

“Good lord.”

Danny snickered.

“ _Don’t start,_ ” she hissed.

“I can say no,” Margaret said.

“Say _yes_. As long as it isn’t on Thursday night and doesn’t include staying a minute longer than we need to. I’ll make it work.”

“Okay. Your eleven o’clock is on his way up.”

“ _Don’t say anything_ ..” she warned Danny as Margaret left the room.

He raised his arms defensively as he walked up to her.

But he couldn’t stop smiling.

“ _Stop it!_ Why can't you at least _pretend_ to be like other men?"

"Other men?"

"Yes. _Jealous_ that another man wants to take me to dinner.”

Danny guffawed.

“At least you’re not going out with him on our anniversary,” he teased.

“For the record, I’m not happy about not being here for that,” she said as she reached out and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

“This is a big deal, CJ. It's okay. We’ll celebrate when you come back.”

“Okay." She kissed him again. "Maybe I’ll bring back some lederhosen for you."

“I’d prefer to see you in a _dirndl_. Did you know that the right kind of bra under the blouse does wonders for this area right _here_?”

He popped open one of the buttons on her shirt and ran a finger down her cleavage.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Maybe you could trial it out on Ambassador Klein. See if you can get a _rise_ out of him.”

“Okay, now you’re taking the piss and I have a meeting to go to.”

“See ya.”

But his hand snaked around her waist and pulled her close.

CJ closed her eyes against his kiss.

“ _Your eleven o’clock? "_ Margaret popped her head around the door and rolled her eyes at the sight in front of her.

“Coming ..” CJ picked a folder from her desk, fixed her shirt, and headed for the door.

She cast one last longing look at Danny, who was still looking far too amused.

"Can you stick around? This won’t take long. Maybe we can have a late lunch before I head out to the airport?”

“Sure. Want me to work on _this_ some more?” he asked as he picked the speech draft off the desk.

“Oh God, _would you?_ ” 

She was out the door before he could retract his offer, and Danny smiled as he settled behind her desk and reached for a pen.

The flow of private capital into infrastructure projects around the world _was_ a big deal. The _Hollis Foundation_ was doing sterling work, and the fact that his wife’s contributions were being recognized was nothing short of inspirational for women around the world. He leaned back and thought of the two hundred plus delegates who would listen to her speak and have no idea that she’d started this fledgling foundation from the ground up while juggling a difficult pregnancy and weathering the loss of her father. 

The words flowed easily after that. 

Margaret popped her head round the door again.

This time she had a notepad in her hands.

“CJ mentioned a late lunch. What can I order for you?”

“I’ll have whatever she usually has.”

“Okay.”

“Actually ..”

“Yes?”

“I was hoping I could ask you for a favour?”

Margaret looked quizzically at him. 

_This was new._

“It’s our anniversary on Thursday, and -”

“You want me to order flowers?”

“I think I can manage that on my own.”

"Want me to get a _German_ anniversary card and sign your name?"

"No."

"Reserve you an adjoining room so that you can surprise her in the middle of the night?"

"No."

"Hire singing telegram people? Oh - I think the _Whiffenpoofs_ are touring in Germany right now. I could try and book them!"

"No."

“So just .. slip her an anniversary gift from you?”

She sounded disappointed.

“Kind of ..”

"I can get her a spirit candle," she said enthusiastically.

"Spirit candle?"

He was almost sure he was going to regret asking.

"At first glance it looks like a white pillar candle. But when you light it and the wax begins to melt, a bronze figure inside is slowly revealed. Sometimes it's .. _naughty things_. And once the whole candle has been burned away, the statues make really nice ornaments. The naughty ones can even pull double duty," she added as an afterthought. "Maybe I can get you a matching set. His and hers -"

"Actually .." he cut her off. "I already _have_ the gift."

He stood up, reached into his messenger bag, and pulled out a sizeable box.

“Sorry, it’s a little heavy," he said with an awkward shrug. "Do you even have space in your carry on?”

“We’re using the jet, nobody pays attention to that stuff,” Margaret said as she held out her hands.

"Think you'll be able to get it past her?"

Margaret arched an immaculate eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, just checking. I'm a little nervous."

“Any instructions to go with it?”

“There’s an envelope inside. _For her eyes only_.”

"Okay," Margaret said with a sharp nod.

Danny grinned as he settled back behind the desk - and made a mental note to research naughty spirit candles when he got home.


	2. A Long Day

_**Hotel Adlon Kempinski** _  
_**Berlin, Germany** _  
_**Thursday, 10pm** _

  
CJ looked out across Pariser Platz, watching couples meander between the columns of the Brandenburg Gate.

“There were almost one hundred thousand people here for the opening in December of eighty-nine,” she observed to the man sitting next to her. “Pretty impressive, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry about the timing of all this,” Franklin Hollis replied instead.

She turned to look at him with confusion in her eyes.

“Margaret told me it’s your anniversary today.”

“Some things are out of even _your_ control,” she said with a small laugh. “And today was quite incredible.”

“It _was_ ,” he said as he took a sip of his drink. “I haven’t really had time to thank you for all the -“

“I should thank _you_ ,” CJ interrupted with a small wave of her hand. “My life would look very diff -“

“Excuse me, Mr. Hollis ..”

They turned to find his executive assistant standing there.

“It’s almost time for your call with President Zuma. I’ve set it up in one of the conference rooms.” 

“Thank you, Cindy. I’ll be right there.” Franklin Hollis put his drink down and straightened his jacket as he stood. “Thank you, CJ ..”

“Thank _you_.”

He nodded before walking away, and CJ went back to watching the couples on the plaza. 

She had just about adjusted to the feeling of not having anyone talk _to_ or _at_ her for the first time in over thirteen hours, when Margaret slipped into the seat that Franklin Hollis had vacated.

She handed CJ a glass of champagne.

“Someone from the German-South African Binational Commission wants to speak with you.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes. But I can make excuses for you. _Want me to make excuses for you?_ ” Margaret whispered as she raised a champagne glass to her lips.

“I don’t know,” CJ whispered back. “Maybe? What time is it?”

“10pm. That’s 1pm on the West Coast. Danny’s called three times. Just in case you were wondering.”

CJ didn’t even need to ask why Margaret hadn’t put her on the phone when he’d called. It had been a whirlwind of a day, with absolutely no time to herself. She’d even had to partially change in the back of a limo at one point.

“Do you think this party will wind down any time soon?” she asked as she tossed a look over her shoulder.

“Not if you don’t leave. Franklin’s on a call, you’re what’s keeping everybody here now.”

“Me or the top shelf alcohol.”

“As we speak there are at least five people angling for a bit of your ti-“

A ringtone pierced the night air, and Margaret pulled CJ’s personal cell phone from her clutch and answered it without checking the caller ID.

“Yes. I did. They did. I’ll let her know.”

She shut the phone and looked up to find CJ staring at her with a look of stupefaction on her face.

“That was Danny.”

“I _know_ that was Danny. I _chose_ that ringtone.”

Margaret nodded but volunteered no other information.

“ _Well? "_

“I think I should make your excuses for you now,” was all Margaret said. “ _And you should go to your room_.”

CJ felt a momentary rush of adrenaline as a thought popped into her head, and she clamped a hand over Margaret’s to stop her from moving.

“ _Is he here_?”

“No, but there is a .. _surprise_ waiting for you. In your room. _That I think you should go to now_.”

“What kind of surprise?”

Margaret extricated her hand and stood up.

She slid the phone across the table.

“You have 19 minutes before he calls back. _Those excuses?_ "

CJ felt a little frisson in her belly and smiled as she stood.

"Make them."


	3. Product Placement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of husband and wife intimacy across continents.

_**Room 121** _

_**The Adlon Kempinski Hotel** _

_**Berlin, Germany** _

_**Thursday, 10.30pm** _

“Hi ..”

She sank lower in the bath as the sound of his voice crashed over her.

“Hi.”

“Big day, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Did they love your speech?”

“They _did._ Thank you for helping with that.”

“Any time.”

“How’s Imogen?”

“She's doing great. Down for her nap.”

“So it’s just you and me?”

“Yup.”

“Has she been down long?”

“About ten minutes”

“So we have .. what .. forty minutes?”

“We have however long we need. Anya’s here.”

“I thought Thursday was her day off.” 

“It is.”

“So wh- ”

“Are we seriously going to talk about why the au pair is here when you’re taking a transatlantic call on your cell phone?”

“ _Did you just snap at me on our anniversary?_ ” she asked with a smile in her voice. “Be grateful Franklin picks up the phone bill without asking questions.”

“You’re right. I’m still not used to this. Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm not used to this yet either."

"So .. whatcha doin’?”

“I’m in the bath.”

“Give me a moment to picture that, please.”

CJ extended a leg from the bath and admired the nail polish on her toes.

“Don’t you want to know what I’m wearing?”

“Always ..”

“It’s called Miami Beet. _A red for those who are nervous about red_.”

“You’re not nervous about red ..”

“I’m not, but Margaret made me wear a slate grey suit with a mimosa blouse for the speech. I needed something a bit more vital in _other_ places. ”

“ _Mimosa?_ ”

“It’s the Pantone colour of the year. A sunny yellow hue that, _they said_ , referenced an overall need for hope and assurance in a year of economic and political uncertainty.“ Her voice turned serious again a second later. "Margaret thought I should look .. _fashion forward_.”

“So basically she decked you out like a sunflower ..” he said with a chuckle.

CJ felt all of the residual tension of the day slide off her shoulders. 

God, she missed the banter.

“I wore my hair the way you like it ..” she whispered seductively.

“That twisted upstyle?”

“Yes.”

“I _do_ like that.”

“I know.”

He loved unpinning it more, but she didn’t want to let on that she knew.

“What did you wear for the reception?”

“A little number in indigo.”

“ _Indigo?_ ”

“It was either that or fuchsia. I played it safe.”

“Mhmm ..”

“Okay, enough about me. What did _you_ do today?”

“Let’s see. I .. matched some orphan socks, rearranged the sweaters in my closet by colour, answered a few emails, came back to my closet and rearranged the sweaters by style, thought about hopping on a plane to _Berlin_ about five times ..”

CJ felt herself choke up a little. 

It hadn’t been this way in the beginning.

Up until the baby had arrived he’d travelled everywhere with her.

It had been a necessary adjustment, but not an easy one. 

“I wish you were here. _I miss you_ ..”

“Miss you too, but here’s a thought before you go all maudlin on me and ruin the mood ..”

“What?”

“One more sleep, one fancy dinner with Ambassador Klein, and then you’ll be on the plane home.”

“You’re right.”

“Did you like the flowers?” 

“Yes. They’re beautiful. The suite smells amazing.”

“Good.”

“The champagne was a nice touch, too. Were you hoping to get me liquored up and -“

“Yes.”

“Good, because I got a head start with the cha -”

“I thought we’d do things a little -”

“Danny, _what’s going on?_ ”

“What do you mean?”

“You snapped at me, you keep cutting me off. You only do that when you’re nervous about something.”

She heard Danny take a breath at the other end.

“I thought we could do things a little _differently_ tonight?”

“Differently?”

“I think you may have missed the real surprise.”

“Hang on ..”

CJ rose from the bath and wrapped herself in a towelling robe before padding out into the suite.

“What do you see?”

She surveyed the room as she walked round it.

“Um .. furniture? Really _nice_ furniture, by the way.”

“Is there a table?”

There are .. _three_. A desk, a coffee table between the sofas, and a round table for meetings.”

“Okay .. see anything you don’t recognize on any of them?”

“The round table is full. The flowers, the champagne on ice, and .. stuff for tomorrow’s morning meeting. Papers, pens, pencils, a computer ..

“Is there a box near the computer?”

“No, just an envelope on top of it."

“Whatsit say?”

CJ picked it up.

“ _Put in your Ben Wa balls?_ ”

Danny groaned.

“I told Margaret the instructions were _for your eyes only_. I didn’t think she’d open the box.”

CJ laughed out loud.

“You told Margaret there was a surprise and expected her not to get curious?”

“Naive, huh?”

“You have _a lot_ to learn about Margaret.” 

“I guess I do.”

“So .. Ben Wa balls.”

“Yup.”

“It’s a shame you’re not here to help me put them in.”

“ _Actually_ ..”

“Oh my God, you _are_ here. Where are you? Outside the door? In the next roo-“

“CJ .. CJ! I’m not _there_. But I _can be_. Kinda.”

“What do you mean?”

“Put in the balls, open the computer, use the login credentials in the envelope.”

The line went dead.

CJ refreshed her champagne glass and pulled her Ben Wa balls out of their case.

She revelled for a moment in the sensation of fullness that they gave her.

A sensation which magnified the moment she sat down in front of the computer.

“Mmmm ..” she squirmed a little as her body adjusted, and then smiled broadly when she realized what the login credentials were for.

“Hi ..” 

She wondered if she sounded as breathless as she felt when Danny’s face appeared on the screen. 

“I figured since you were in a place with decent wi-fi for a change, we could Skype?”

“One of your better ideas, Mr. Concannon ..” 

“I thought so.”

“Give me a moment to get some mood lighting going here, okay?”

“One more thing ..”

“There’s one more thing?”

She looked around her.

“At _my_ end, CJ. There’s one more thing at _my end_. I .. uh .. got myself a little something the other day.”

He was _definitely_ nervous, and her curiosity was well and truly piqued now.

“What did you get?”

He held something up to the camera.

"Is that a .."

“Fleshlight.”

“Ooh ..”

She’d seen the ads and had seriously been considering getting him one for Christmas.

“You’re okay with it?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

“I don't have to.”

“I want you to.”

“Okay ..”

She watched him flip open a tube of lubricant and squeeze some inside.

“Wanna see if we can do this without talking?” Danny asked.

They did this at home, sometimes.

Watched, until one or the other couldn’t stop themselves from taking over. 

But this would be different.

This would be the best kind of torture; and the sex when they saw each other in less than forty eight hours would be incandescent.

"Ready?"

"Mhmm .."

Danny had the most expressive eyes she’d ever seen; able to communicate more in a single look than anyone she knew.

She couldn’t see what was doing, but the look he was giving her told her that he’d slipped into the object in his hand.

His back arched against the headboard and she knew it was taking real effort for him not to close his eyes.

He did moan, though; a moan that went straight to her core.

She wanted to tell him that if she were there she’d be dragging her mouth over his neck while he pleasured himself.

Scraping her teeth along his throat, before nipping a spot near his collarbone.

She’d be brushing the pad of her right thumb against one of his nipples before biting down on it.

But she didn’t say it, and focused instead on the ache building inside her.

On the man making her feel this way across continents.

And the delicious sounds he was making.

The look he gave her next clearly told her that he couldn’t draw this out any longer.

That the feeling was too intense.

That he wished he were inside her.

His upper torso shook and she knew that he was sliding the gadget up and down his length faster.

Unadulterated lust and intense love collided with the flurry of hums, moans, and dilating pupils on the other side of the screen, and for one long drawn out moment the lines blurred. Bringing the realization that she wasn’t going to need to touch herself at all.

That just watching him while using her kegel balls was going to send her over the edge.

Watching his brows furrow from the intensity of the pleasure he was feeling ratcheted the heat inside of her.

She could tell he was close.

Knew from the way he started breathing short and hard, from the the way his moans bordered on desperation.

And his eyes still hadn’t left hers.

“Unpin your hair ..”

As she raised her arms to oblige, the movement shifted the kegel balls fractionally and sent her into freefall.

The sound of his head hitting the headboard of their bed was followed by an expletive she didn’t hear often from him, and she lost the battle to hold on just as surely as he did.

“Can I use that on you some time?” she asked, almost shyly, when they’d regrouped and she was lying on the bed with the phone back to her ear.

“Sure.”

“This was _definitely_ one of your better ideas.”

“Yeah.”

“I loved the candles, too. But I do have a question about them.”

“The candles?”

“For the mood lighting. Isn't that why you sent them?"

“I didn’t send you candles ..”

“There’s something weird happening. It looks as though there’s something insi- _what do you mean you didn’t send me candles?_ The candles that came with the flowers, Danny.”

She heard Danny groan.

“What?”

“I didn’t send you candles with the flowers.”

“Then who sent them?”

"Um .."

"Danny?"

“I think Margaret may have taken initiative?”

“What’s inside?”

“Look closer ..”

CJ got up from the bed and peered at the two candles on the table.

It took her a few moments to understand what she was looking at.

“Oh my ..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I write a follow up to this story?


End file.
